Back on My Feet

After moving to Boston from the Capital District a few months ago, I’ve been making an effort to get out and meet new people by joining various clubs and organizations. The most fulfilling of these has been volunteering with “Back on My Feet”, a non-profit organization that uses running as a tool to assist homeless men and women as they work toward gainful employment and stable housing.

Back on My Feet members meet three mornings a week to participate in group runs together. After achieving a mandatory attendance record, members are invited to a variety of job training, career advising, and job placement events.

Volunteering with this organization has been tremendously humbling. These men and women are no different from me and having a job and a home makes me no better than any of them. The participants are former professors, veterans, and highly dedicated workers who have simply fallen on tough times or have taken a couple difficult detours along the way.

Since the 2007 founding of “Back on My Feet” in Philadelphia, the organization has grown to more than a dozen cities across the United States. It would be great to see a similar program in Albany in the future. In my experience, programs such as this one are a fantastic way to bring runners of all backgrounds and skill levels together to work toward a gratifying goal and an increased appreciation for the power of running.